San Francisco’s Orchid have been announced as Friday-night headliners at Freak Valley 2015. The festival is set to run June 4-6 in Netphen, Germany, and Orchid join the ranks of Goatsnake and Earthless in headlining, rounding out an all-Californian top rank for the event. Says something about the reach of the Golden State, perhaps, but you can’t really argue that any of the three don’t deserve the spot. In the case of Orchid, their Nuclear Blast-proliferated Sabbath worship has made them a household name among heavy rock aficionados, and they’ll also appear in April at Kirk von Hammet‘s Fear FestEvil in San Jose with High on Fire, Meshuggah and more.

Freak Valley got some Vance Kelly art to mark the occasion and put it this way:

ORCHID TO HEADLINE FRIDAY NIGHT AT FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL 2015!!

Classic Heavy Rock is once again making an unstoppable advance onto the music scene. One of the greatest new acts of its kind is surely ORCHID. Founded in 2007 in San Francisco, the band is rapidly overtaking and destroying each and every competitor; and there are many reasons why.

Musically, Orchid owe their sound to the grand masters of rock. They walk in the footsteps of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and even Pink Floyd – they certainly are generating abundant exhilaration wherever they roam. This musical genre, the mix of blues, folk and hard rock, was surely the most widespread bravura in the early seventies, and those legendary acts mentioned above would easily fill stadiums even today. Their timeless music has survived decades of trends and fashions. It has inspired multiple generations of hard rock acts and is once again spreading to the forefront of rock. It is hard music, music with groove, music that is authentic and true to its roots. It can fill the largest of arenas to enthrall millions of concertgoers around the globe.

If you’re wondering why every other post this week is about a fest I’d like to go to, please rest assured it’s not a coincidence. The latest addition to that growing list is the Scion Rock Fest, set for May 17 in Pomona, California, with High on Fire, Red Fang, All Them Witches, Aqua Nebula Oscillator, recent EasyRider Records signees The Well and many, many others in the lineup. I’ve never been a huge Machine Head guy, but I think there’d be plenty besides with which to keep occupied.

RSVP for the free fest is open as of today, so if you’re thinking you’re gonna hit it up, you’ll probably want to do so on the quick:

Scion Audio Visual’s annual hard rock/metal festival, Scion Rock Fest, returns to Pomona, Calif. on May 17 with an all-star line-up of the biggest names in hard rock as well as metal’s most buzz-worthy newcomers.

Headlining Scion Rock Fest, which has quickly become established as one of heavy music’s biggest live outings, are Machine Head and High On Fire. Other prominent artists appearing on the sixth installment of Scion Rock Fest are Red Fang, King Buzzo, Hot Lunch, Pins of Light and Windhand (full list below).

Concertgoers should visitwww.scionav.com to RSVP beginning March 26 at 10 a.m. pacific.

Since the 2009 debut of Scion Rock Fest, the annual outing has featured Mastodon, Down, Neurosis, Baroness, Morbid Angel and the Melvins. A rotating location has found the Fest in Atlanta, Columbus, Tampa, Memphis as well as the 2011 event, which was also in Pomona.

Scion Rock Fest is one of the many music and cultural events curated by Scion Audio Visual, the entertainment division founded by Scion in 2003. Over the past decade, Scion AV has hosted numerous concerts and tours including the monthly Scion Rock Show in Los Angeles and High on Fire’s recent North American trek, sponsored Phil Anselmo’s Housecore Horror Festival and Revelation Records’ 25th Anniversary celebrations, brought together the brightest minds in the music industry for the annual Scion Music(less) Music Conference and offered numerous free singles and EPs from a wide variety of musicians including Meshuggah, Corrosion of Conformity and Municipal Waste.

It hasn’t been easy keeping up with the Desertfest updates, as both the London and Berlin fests seem to be adding new bands every day — Truckfighters and Colour Haze joining the London lineup was a bit of a “holy shit” moment for me — and sure enough, the last couple days have been no different, with French bands Glowsun and Mars Red Sky added to London and Blues Pills and Orchid signing on for Berlin. Lineups for both are getting pretty packed.

I’ve had several of those “holy shit” moments, including one listening to Dozer last weekend when I realized I’m actually going to get to see that band play, so although I may have some trouble keeping up, I’m unbelievably psyched to catch Desertfest this year.

Here’s the latest:

London

Glowsun

After crashing the Berlin leg of Desertfest last year, French ‘psychédélique’ trio Glowsun are heading to Camden and completing the double. Already strong contender for any best French band of all time awards, Glowsun are masters of mixing powerful, ambient psychedelia with raw, crushing groove.

Debut full length, The Sundering, put Glowsun on the stoner map in 2008 thanks to its expertly crafted, hooky jams. Last year’s follow up, Eternal Season, shoved drone more to the centre of the sound as well as pushing through heavier, crunchier guitars. The result was an equally atmospheric, but much darker album with more strut and swagger.

Sitting halfway between Sleep and Sungrazer, Glowsun’s appearance at the Camden leg this year is bound to be a thunderous, apocalyptic journey into a psychedelic waste ground.

words courtesy of Tom Geddes

Mars Red Sky

Mentioning the very concept of Mars Red Sky in the UK brings to mind the bizarre combination of tasty chocolate, caramel and nougat with a high quality brand of potato crisps. En France however we’re talking only about the psyche-tripping, outer galaxy meanderings of Bordeaux’s finest retro rockers, known to their fans as MRS.

Taking in influences as broad as Hendrix, Kyuss, Cream, Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, these meteor-bothering cosmonauts create a thick, fuzzy, yet delicate sound, memorably topped off by frontman Julien Pras’ startlingly soulful bluesy rasps behind the mic. With just a singular, though poignant, self-titled debut record and a split with Year of No Light out to date, MRS have quickly built an impressive résumé which includes guest spots at Roadburn, Les Eurockennes and Incubate festivals as well as opening slots with the likes of Sleepy Sun and Killing Joke. A groovy, acid-frying three piece rounded out by Jimmy Kinast on bass and Benoit Busser behind the kit, MRS bring brooding basslines, triumphant drumbeats and a megaton of big-muffled guitar riffs together with a dark and haunting sense of melody, seldom heard in the cactus fields of classic stoner rock.

If you dig the likes of Colour Haze, Tweak Bird, Witchcraft and Earthless then get your shovel back out and prepare to get crater-making with yet another astounding addition to our line-up here at DesertFest 2013.

Berlin

Orchid

As many of you expected, ORCHID is now confirmed for the DESERTFEST BERLIN ! :)

ORCHID is an American Doom Metal band based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2007, and one of the greatest new acts of its kind. Rocking hard with their dark, psych-sonic blues assault, the band, around the charismatic lead singer Theo Mindell and his fascinating psychedelic vocals, are the new darlings of the retro heavy rock scene.

ORCHID established their reputation early with the 2009 release of their first EP “Through The Devil’s Doorway” on the small indie label The Church Within. The EP quickly received first-rate reviews around the world naming it an ingenious debut for a band with an auspicious future. Shortly after this release, ORCHID unleashed their first full length album “Capricorn”, released in 2011 by the same label. The record immediately gained the band a huge following in Europe. In September 2012, Nuclear Blast released “Heretic”, their last EP to date … but not for long, as they already prepare a new one, “Wizard of War” ! Stay tuned…

As they live for writing, recording, and playing live, they tour in Europe every year, participating in many of great festivals, such as Hammer of Doom Festival in October 2011, and DesertFest London last April.

Now it’s Berlin turn !!

Blues Pills

It’s time for us to bring a little bit of blues to the DesertFest. We are glad to welcome the Swedish-American-French hybrid BLUES PILLS !!

After their departure from Radio Moscow in September 2011, drummer Cory Berry and bass player Zack Anderson, joined up with Swedish lead singer Elin Larsson and French guitar player Dorian Sorriaux to form BLUES PILLS, a compound of heavy, driving bass lines, colossal drums and ferocious, riff based, soul-penetrating guitar work tied together by an incredible soulful voice.

Their 4-track debut EP, “Bliss”, released in May 2012 on Crusher Records, propelled them at the forefront of the on-going 1970?s blues rock retrospective. They toured last summer in Spain and Portugal, and this year, they will play at Roadburn Festival and DesertFest !!

Recently included near the top of my albums I didn’t hear in 2011 list, San Franciscan Sabbath keepers Orchid have been announced as taking part in the 2012 London Desertfest. They join a lineup that already includes the likes of Orange Goblin, Greenleaf, Stone Axe, Black Pyramid and many, many more, and maybe, if I still haven’t picked it up by the time I get there, just maybe I’ll finally get my hands on a copy of Capricorn from their merch table.

If you dig BlackSabbath, then you’re going to dig Orchid with their fresh take on ‘70s doom rock. The SanFrancisco four-piece came into existence back in 2007 and in ‘09 released their Through the Devils Doorway EP. 2011 saw the guys’ debut album, Capricorn, hit the shops and has receive rave reviews. They toured Europe for the first time this year and now they are working on a new album which is to be released in 2012. Occult rock is coming to London next year.

I should say up front that there were way more than just five albums I didn’t hear in 2011. Five is just a convenient number. It’s half of 10, prime, odd, easily multiplied, etc. I could probably do a top 20 if I felt like it, but frankly, I don’t. Much as I (apparently) enjoy making a show of my ignorance, even that thrill has its limits.

Reactions varied to this year’s top 20 list when it went up, which was to be expected, and I appreciated it that people felt strongly enough to point out things I missed or things they felt deserved inclusion. That’s awesome. It gives me more records to hunt down, and well, what the hell is the point of all of this if not that?

Reserving the right to either purchase or not purchase these albums in the future depending on my cash flow, momentary impulse and fluctuations in taste, here’s the list. You should probably note that, since I didn’t hear any of them, the numbers are basically meaningless.

1. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Blood Lust

When this didn’t make the top 20, the response was so immediate and horrified that I actually went and bought the damn thing off eBay. Import price, no less. Seriously, people were pissed. Windows were broken by flying bricks of disgust. Cars were flipped over and set on fire. “Oh my god it’s retro British occult doom how could you not have it on your list?” The hype being as massive as it is, I only hope my contrary nature (read: prickishness) doesn’t get the best of me and actually prevent me from enjoying it when it comes. Either way, I’ll write on it. Not a full review, but something.

2. Orchid, CapricornOne of several releases on The Church Within Records that I would’ve preferred to have been able to review (looking at you too, Serpent Venom and Lord Vicar), but I’m only one man, I only have so much money, and I feel bad chasing stuff down when there’s a list of records waiting to be written up. Plus, after a nasty one-liner about their performance at Planet Caravan in 2009 and a meh writeup on their Through the Devil’s Doorway EP, I don’t think I’m even on their radar for people whose opinions they care to hear about a full-length. Fair enough. I’ll probably pick up Capricorn eventually regardless.

3. Tombs, Path of TotalityYears ago, I interviewed Mike Hill for the Aquarian when the former Anodyne guitarist/vocalist was releasing that band’s The First Four Years compilation on his own Black Box Recordings. He was a nice guy, and he talked about starting a new band in Brooklyn that was in a heavier direction. That turned out to be Tombs. And then they signed to Relapse, and then they were really popular. I wasn’t too huge on their first record, and this one just kind of fell through the cracks, but by all accounts it’s fairly amazing. I don’t doubt it.

4. Hammers of Misfortune, 17th StreetWhile I’m reliving irrelevant memories (see #3 above), at SXSW in 2007, I was at a merch table for a show Weedeater were playing. Maybe it was Om. Or both. Slough Feg were also on the bill, though I’d missed them, and I wound up drunkenly buying everything Hammers of Misfortune had for sale from Sanford Parker, who assured me they kicked ass. I don’t recall ever finding out one way or the other, and neither did I manage to keep up with the band’s 2008 double release, Fields/Church of Broken Glass, but each time they put out a record, I feel like I should get aboard, and this one’s no different.

5. Argus, Boldly Stride the DoomedI was given a free download of the album, I got the .zip file, and then it sat there. And in the end, I didn’t not review it because I didn’t want to listen — I didn’t review it because I didn’t want to listen, dig the hell out of it and then have to go buy it. That’s the truth. It’s nothing against Pittsburgh trad doomers Argus, whom I’ve seen live and whose sound I dig a lot — I just didn’t want to have to shell out the cash for another record. Would be a different scenario if they were playing a show, and hopefully I’ll run into them over the course of the next year and be able to make fiscal amends for my neglect.

Honorable mention goes to Seven that Spells, The Heavy Eyes and probably six or seven others I can’t think of. You know, I was kind of hoping that doing this feature would make me feel better about missing out on some of this stuff, but nope. I just feel lame and out of touch. Maybe in 2012 I’ll be cool enough to keep up, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

If you’ve been around stoner rock for 35 seconds or more, chances are you’ve encountered at least one band that made you say, “Damn, this sounds just like Black Sabbath.” Assuming you weren’t actually listening to Black Sabbath when you said it, it could have been just about anyone. In one way or another, every band in the genre is indebted to the Birmingham gods, whether they like it or not. San Franciscan four-piece Orchid like it. They like it plenty.

Orchid’s debut EP, the 16-minute Through the Devil’s Doorway (out via Germany’s The Church Within Records) is an exercise in praise of all things Sabbath. Bassist Nickel is Geezer, guitarist Mark Thomas Baker is Tony Iommi, drummer Carter Kennedy is no Bill Ward, but no one is, and vocalist Theo Mindell is cast in the Ozzy Osbourne role, which he handles ably (he is also a tattoo artist and in charge of the band’s formidable graphics). The four songs that make up the release bring Sabo worship to new heights most bands wouldn’t dare to reach even if they could; each one having a companion in the Ozzy era catalog.